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Commercial: KNX Lighting Control in MediaCity UK

MediaCityUK is spread over 36 acres on Salford Quays, Manchester’s waterfront. The £500 million Peel Media development includes a new home for the BBC North, a campus for Salford University, office accommodation for business, retail, 378 apartments and a 218 bed hotel. The project design is at the leading edge of energy efficiency and KNX open-protocol control over an IP network was an early choice for the developers, Peel Media.

As well as energy savings, the KNX option is allowing for central system monitoring and control of all lights along with automated emergency light testing, system administration reporting and interfaces to other building services such as the fire alarms.

North West-based KNX specialists EnTech (Energy Technologies) Ltd were successful in securing all contracts for design, installation and commissioning of lighting controls within all BBC Buildings, the Studio Building and Towers, the Salford University Building and the Public Realm. With a heavy emphasis on digital and creative industries, MediaCityUK workspaces will be catering for unconventional and flexible working patterns, so sensitive presence detection and constant daylight control were high on Entech’s specification list for PIR detectors to ensure that lighting is used effectively and only when needed. This led them to place orders for over 3000 Theben HTS Presence Detectors for the first phase of this project.Timeguard Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Theben AG.

The sheer size of the project meant that the number of PIR detectors would be counted in their thousands, however this number was significantly reduced by Entech’s choice of the Theben HTS square detection pattern Compact Office KNX Presence Detectors. The square pattern of the detection field, which is determined by the design of the lenses and the sensor inside, makes it easier for project designers to plan the installation without overlapping detection fields and redundancy.

The units’ built in Constant Lighting Control mean that the required lighting level can be maintained using natural light where possible and the minimum of artificial light; thus maintaining comfortable lighting levels and, where possible, saving energy. Desired lighting levels can be determined detector by detector if required. Commissioning and operation is simplified using Theben HTS QuickSet intelligent remote controls which are used to transmit settings or call up pre-defined value packets for typical spaces. The option of the clic remote control means that the occupant can change lighting levels in rooms. For example during a presentation the lights can be dimmed and the blinds closed at the touch of a button. Remote controls enable changes to be made to the Presence Detectors without touching them physically.

MediaCityUK is being developed by a partnership of the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, Peel Holdings and Salford City Council.